Web Tool Targets Factors that Cause Deadly Blood Clots
The Venous Disease Coalition (VDC) has launched an online assessment tool to help raise awareness about deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, two conditions that affect African Americans 30% more than whites.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which occurs when a blood clot develops in the large veins of the legs or pelvic area, is treatable with prompt diagnosis and treatment. However, if not treated early, DVT can be fatal if a blood clot travels through the heart and into the lungs. This complication is called pulmonary embolism.
“One person dies every five to six minutes from a DVT or PE related event in America, and some groups, such as African Americans, are at a significantly higher risk of developing these conditions,†said Dr. Garth Graham, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at the VDC’s annual meeting last week. “Many of the causes of DVT are entirely preventable and easily treatable, so it’s crucial that people understand their level of risk and take action to reduce this.â€
The tool is structured in the form of a quiz that asks users to indicate their risk factors then alerts them of their likelihood of developing DVT and PE. The VDC, which is composed of 35 health associations, created the tool with the intent to draw awareness to DVT and PE among patients and healthcare professionals. In addition, the VDC wants to encourage patients to be more aggressive with health professionals if they believe they have DVT or PE but were misdiagnosed.
People at risk for VTE may have recently underwent surgery or pregnancy, endured bed rest or a prolonged trip causing an inability to walk, inherited medical conditions such as congestive heart failure and severe obesity, ingested medications that predispose the blood to clotting or have a history of smoking or varicose veins. Symptoms include pain or swelling, increased warmth and/or red or discolored skin in the affected leg.
–Marcia Wade Talbert
Head: Study: Blacks with High Blood Pressure Lack Patient-Doctor Communication
A study has found that black patients with high blood pressure have poorer communication with their doctors than white patients do.
“It seems that in general blacks talk less overall to their physicians than white patients,†said Dr. Crystal Wiley Cené, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and lead author of the study, in a statement. “As a result, communication about specific topics occurs less often.â€
Cené and her colleagues analyzed audio recordings of patient visits with their primary care physician as part of a study of interventions that seek to improve patient adherence to high blood pressure therapy. The larger study was led by Dr. Lisa A. Cooper, a Johns Hopkins University professor.
Black patients were found to have had shorter office visits, less biomedical and psychosocial interaction, and less rapport-building with their doctors than white patients.
“There are several possible reasons why [blacks] may talk less to their physicians — they might not trust the physician or feel that they are ‘disconnected’ from their doctors, for whatever reasons,†Cené said. “This lack of communication by black patients may in turn make their physicians talk less to them.â€
The study included 226 patients with high blood pressure and 39 physicians from 15 Baltimore, Maryland primary care practices. Researchers listened to recordings of patient visits and measured outcomes that included the length of visits, the number of statements devoted to communication during psychosocial exchange, and rapport building.
Cené’s study concluded that patient race was more important than the status of blood pressure control in determining patient-doctor communication quality. It recommended the testing of interventions designed to improve communication as a way to reduce racial disparities in the care of patients with hypertension.
–Janell Hazelwood
Gays, Lesbians Face More Discrimination
A survey released by the Pew Research Center showed that Americans believe gays and lesbians face more discrimination than the nation’s other groups. Of the groups facing discrimination, blacks fell below homosexuals, Muslims, and Hispanics, with 49% of respondents saying blacks face “a lot†of biases.
About 64% of Americans perceive gays and lesbians as facing large amounts of prejudice, more than any other racial or religious group in the United States. Meanwhile, 52% said Hispanics face “a lot†of discrimination.
While blacks are perceived to be discriminated less than many other groups, this may be due in part to civil rights legislation and the election of the nation’s first black head of state, Barack Obama.
“Because there’s been a lot of legal solutions to racial issues, most white Americans think the problem is solved,†said Rebecca Alpert, associate professor of religion and women’s studies at Temple University in Philadelphia.
She also added that Obama’s presidency may give the perception to many Americans that racial relations for blacks in America are better, though actual racial discrimination is still persistent.
Americans perceive Muslims as subject to more discrimination than any other religious group, with 58% of Americans saying those of the religion face a lot of bias. The survey also points out that American’s belief that Islam encourages violence has ebbed and flowed since the Sept. 11 attacks.
“It’s misinformation that I think is the problem,†Alpert said, adding that discrimination against Muslims is “misguided,†as many American’s automatically associate the religion with terrorism.
Before the attacks, the percentage of Americans who thought Islam was a violent religion was 25%. That number peaked in 2007 at 45% and has since declined to 38%.
This national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, was conducted in August and surveyed 2,010 adults on both landlines and cell phones. There is a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.
— Renita Burns